Table Of Content© Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, Volume 11, Number 3, p. 53, (2006)
Cultivating Reciprocity: The Guiding
Framework for Benedict College in
Partnership with the Community to
Garner Economic and Community Growth
Gwenda R. Greene
Abstract
This article delineates Benedict College’s strategies for
transforming the community to foster a strong sense of con-
nectedness and inclusivity to the institution. Reciprocal partner-
ships between the college and the community have served as a
vehicle for achieving the mission of the college and addressing
critical community issues. Benedict College has collaborated
in such community development endeavors as renewal of the
area surrounding the college, including improved housing for
underserved local families. In its efforts to holistically organize
college and community, Benedict College has institutionalized
service-learning as a sustainable method of integrating commu-
nity partnership into higher education. Information presented
in this article focuses primarily on the methodical partnership
between Benedict College and its surrounding community to
collaboratively address the issue of economic and community
growth through unified, sustainable plans and decisions.
Benedict College and the Community: Building the
Partnership
Ah istorical overview: Since 1870 Benedict College has
remained true to its name. The name Benedict means
blessing, and for 137 years, Benedict College has been a blessing
to the African American community. The largest accredited private
historically black college (HBCU) in the two Carolinas, Benedict
College, like many HBCUs, stands proud in the heart of a once-
prominent neighborhood that continually seeks ways to revitalize
and sustain its spirit. Rich in pride, prominence, and prosperity,
the Edgewood-Waverly community encircles Benedict College.
From a historical perspective, the local neighborhood was once
immersed in the livelihood of churches, schools, black-owned
businesses, and a medical facility, in addition to doctors, lawyers,
and educators who provided renowned service to the neighborhood
and other South Carolina blacks during an unforgettable era of
racial segregation. Educational facilities, such as Benedict College,
54 Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement
were especially significant for their service to blacks when racial
discrimination denied many of them educational opportunities
equal to those available to whites. Today, Benedict College remains
committed to its neighboring community.
Community analysis: Assessing the need, Benedict College
made the decision to concentrate its efforts on creating affordable
housing in the Edgewood section of the community. A later analysis
further justified the decision, as it revealed that the total popula-
tion of the community between
1990 and 2000 decreased con-
Table 1. Population Trends
sistently. It spiraled down from
2008 Projection 4,174
4,859 to 4,645 and is projected
2003 Estimate 4,460
to decrease to a low of 4,174
2000 Census 4,645
persons by 2008 (table 1).
1990 Census 4,859
Public housing served as home
1990-2000 Total Growth -4.40% for many of the residents. As a
Annual Average -0.44% part of the city’s plan, public
Source: F. A. Johnson Consulting housing was to be eradicated
Group, Inc. and replaced with single-family
dwellings. The steady decrease
reflects the decline of many residential areas. Approximately 89
percent of all the occupied homes in the community were renter
occupied, indicating a relatively transient population base (table
2). Only 50.48 percent of the
Table 2. Occupied Housing Units population over age twenty-
2000 Total Occupied five had earned a high school
1,174
Housing Units diploma or GED. The high
Owner Occupied 10.99% percentage of the population
Renter Occupied 89.01% lacking a high school diploma
Average # of persons or GED adversely impacted
2.19
per household the household income and per
Source: F. A. Johnson Consulting capita income levels achieved.
Group, Inc. In 2000, just over 54 percent
of the population generated
incomes below the poverty level. The median household income
and per capita household income levels were less than half those
reported for Richland County, the state of South Carolina, and the
nation (F. A. Johnson Consulting Group 2004).
The role of Benedict-Allen Community Development
Corporation: In partnership with the community, under the lead-
Cultivating Reciprocity: The Guiding Framework for Benedict College 55
ership of President David H. Swinton, Benedict College is effectu-
ating its institutional mission to provide public service and to impact
conditions in the African American community. Established at the
college in 1995 as a vision of President Swinton, the Benedict-
Allen Community Development Corporation (CDC) has been a
catalyst for the renewal of the community surrounding the college.
A unit of the Division of Community Development, the Benedict-
Allen CDC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation created to imple-
ment activities promoting its mission of community development
and neighborhood revitalization. The CDC’s primary objective is
to serve as a catalyst for change by combining public and private
resources to accomplish common goals (Benedict College. Division
of Community Development 2007). In collaboration with the local
community councils and the city of Columbia, the Benedict-Allen
CDC has renovated and built homes for low- to moderate-income
families, beginning with the surrounding Edgewood community,
referenced in the corporation’s literature as the Waverly/Read
Street community. Building affordable houses in that community
was a rarity due to the expanding suburban community develop-
ment in the city. Nevertheless, Dr. Swinton believed in the viability,
decency, and economic opportunity of the local neighborhood:
When I came to Benedict, I learned that people were
afraid to walk down certain blocks around the college.
There were unsavory characters hanging around some
of the houses; windows on homes were boarded up;
and drugs were rampant. Our children were exposed to
this negative behavior. I knew something needed to be
done. (Nkuo 2002, 14)
The reciprocity of the partnership: Partnering with the com-
munity, Benedict College rolled up its sleeves and did something
to address the need for economic and community development.
The Benedict-Allen CDC addressed the need for the Waverly/Read
Street residential revitalization through the promotion of home
ownership as a result of the acquisition, rehabilitation, and resale
of existing substandard housing and new home development. From
2000 to 2005, four houses were demolished, four houses were con-
structed, five houses were sold, and one building was built (see
figure 1) (Benedict College. Division of Community Development 2005).
This is quite remarkable for a small CDC during a five-year span.
Yet the impact is even greater. For example, since 1999 when
the full Division of Community Development was formed, Benedict
56 Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement
Figure 1. Physical Structures within the Division of Community Development
2004-2005
ar
Ye 2003-2004
c
mi
e
d
a 2002-2003
c
A
2001-2002
0 1 2 3 4
Number of Structures
# of Buildings Built
College has invested over $20 million in
# of Houses Sold
the community through its community
development efforts. Dr. Jabari Simama, # of Houses Constructed
vice president of community develop-
# of Houses Demolished
ment, presents a scope of the results of
the partnership (Simama 2007). Alongside Source: Benedict College,
Division of Community
U.S. Representative Jim Clyburn during
Development 2005
a tour of the community, Dr. Simama
showcased both completed and planned affordable houses devel-
oped as a result of the partnership with the Benedict-Allen CDC.
The tour included the “off the footprint” phase of development
that encompasses homes of top college administrators; a commu-
nity park where the college students and the community enjoy
facilities for tennis, basketball, and jogging; affordable housing;
new student dormitories; and the Business Development Center
(BDC), which is the focus for the growth of black businesses in
the Midlands. He also shared the plans for a new mixed-use devel-
opment to be called the Shoppes on Read. They ended the tour at
the Charlie W. Johnson Football Stadium, a new venue that offers
space for ten thousand spectators and executive suites for special
events. The developments delineated during the tour recapitulate
the compelling story of “how a small college can drive economic
and community development and make a profound difference in
its immediate environs” (Simama 2007, 4).
One of Benedict’s staunch community partners, a long-
standing member of the community surrounding Benedict and a
catalyst for the community’s revitalization, Mrs. Myrtle Gordon,
says, “Benedict has been a blessing to the revitalization of the
Cultivating Reciprocity: The Guiding Framework for Benedict College 57
area. Benedict picked up where the city [of Columbia] left off
and is helping to transform the community” (Greene et al. 2002,
83). “Years ago, this was a thriving community [around Benedict].
Unfortunately, many lifelong residents died, leaving their property
to family members. The family members often moved away, either
selling the home or turning it into a rental property. The neighbor-
hood ended up with many absentee landlords and was soon filled
with people who did not care about the area,” says Gordon. “I
consider them [Benedict College] a savior of the neighborhood”
(Nkuo 2002, 16).
Benedict College’s vision of revitalization is more than just the
development of another isolated program. The passion and com-
mitment to the institution’s role in the local community reverberate
through its strategic plan in the aim to help create sustainable ways
to improve the college and the community through shared oppor-
tunities and decision making. “In my judgment,” says President
Swinton, “there is a direct connection between education and the
economy, between education and civility, between education and
the future of society at large. Benedict College is committed to
being a strong partner in that connection” (Benedict College. Office
of the President 2001, 6).
Service-Learning: The Added Value of Revitalization
Sustaining change through service-learning: The Benedict
College Service-Learning Program was identified as a viable estab-
lished program that could help effectuate and sustain the progres-
sion of the community’s development. Institutionalized in 1995 as
a graduation requirement, service-learning engages students in 120
hours of service activities connected directly to the curriculum.
Dr. Swinton believes “that Benedict College scholars must provide
new insight into some of the persisting and intractable problems
that challenge our society today. It is important for Benedict fac-
ulty and student scholars to work on advancing the knowledge
required to enable African Americans to become full and equal
partners in America” (Benedict College. Office of the President 2001,
18). The Benedict College Service-Learning Program is an example
of an institutional initiative that expands classroom teaching and
builds student altruism. Students are placed at sites that canvass
the following areas of service in approximately the proportions
indicated: education (36%), health (12%), human needs (40%),
crime prevention (1%), environmental awareness (2%), technology
(2%), and research (7%). Students render approximately forty-six
58 Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement
thousand hours of service to the community per year through iden-
tified courses that strategically blend service and learning simulta-
neously (Benedict College. Service-Learning Program 2006).
Service-learning is proudly supported by Dr. Swinton as
a means for helping to cultivate a sense of responsibility to the
community and themselves in each of the college’s nearly 2700
students.
Service-Learning provides Benedict College students
with an opportunity to put what they are learning into
practice. It helps them hone their leadership skills and
to develop confidence in their ability to provide work of
value to society. In addition, it instills in them a sense
of personal responsibility for finding solutions to the
problems and concerns of society. Service-Learning
teaches students to take ownership and think in terms
of “us” and “we” rather than in terms of “them” and
“they.” While they learn and serve, Benedict students
provide incredible resources to help address important
social and community issues.1
As a result, students have played a vital role in the Edgewood-
Waverly revitalization efforts through the collegewide, cross-dis-
ciplinary program. With the help of students, faculty, and staff,
community revitalization has far exceeded the scope of housing
renovations; it has served as a method for addressing the human
element of the local neighborhood. A myriad of student engage-
ment initiatives has been developed specifically in the Edgewood-
Waverly neighborhood, ranging from community clean-ups to
health awareness, intergenerational therapeutic and recreational
activities, historical documentation, community council meetings,
and town hall forums, in addition to faith-based and school district
tutoring and mentoring programs. Table 3 gives a sampling of aca-
demic-based projects and impact.
Factors Influencing the Partnership Success
The factors listed below are derived from best practices of the
collaborative building of partnerships (Leiderman et al. 2002) and the
merit of inclusivity in creating community (Fine 2000). Reciprocity,
in its truest form, is the underlying principle that guides the success
of effective partnerships that endure.
Cultivating Reciprocity: The Guiding Framework for Benedict College 59
Table 3. Sample Benedict College service-learning partnerships and projects
across the curriculum directly impacting the Edgewood-Waverly
community
Academic Community Area of Community
Descriptions
Courses Partners Service Impact
CJ 433: An intervention pro- Columbia Crime pre- Reduced crime,
Community gram where college Police vention & drugs, violence,
Crime students provide Department education and truancy, and
Prevention tutoring and men- Richland enhanced aca-
and Private toring to middle and School demic achieve-
Security high school students District I ment of 60 at-risk
youth per year
FA 211, 212: An intervention pro- Save Human Enhanced aca-
Fine Arts gram for troubled Our Kids needs, crime demic achieve-
Sophomore youths where (nonprofit prevention & ment and
Seminar college students organization) education career/collegiate
SW 211, 212: provide tutoring and mentoring for 100
Social Work mentoring to middle, troubled youths
Sophomore high, and alternative
Seminar school students
ENG 237: Oral A health aware- Bethlehem Health & Addressed health
Communication ness campaign that Community education disparities such
requires college Center as HIV/AIDS,
students to seek diabetes, and
creative methods cardiovascular
for addressing disease in the
health disparities African American
while demonstrating community with
acquired oral com- 80 afterschool
munication skills youth per year
1. The rationale for the collaboration was identified and
agreed upon. A hint of mistrust can initiate the demise
of a partnership. Therefore, the more partners are able to
listen and communicate openly, the stronger a foundation
of trust can be built. These partners established both his-
torical and current foundations on which they could agree
to collaborate, with the implicit intention of dispelling tra-
ditional connotations of the town-gown relationship.
2. There was a set of mutually determined goals. Inclusion
is key to partnership development. It creates connected-
ness. With a sense of connectedness, individual partners’
operational contexts can be comprehended, and goals
and processes can be mutually achieved. These partners
developed a mutual understanding. Decisions were not
made without the consent of each. As a result, ideas were
60 Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement
sometimes tabled. Those that moved forth were decided
collaboratively.
3. Resources, rewards, and risks were shared among part-
ners. Each partner should have something to offer that is
clear and equally beneficial to all. These partners held town
hall meetings, allocated shared space, and identified and
exchanged resources during the initial building stages. They
also anticipated risks and predicted rewards to be shared.
4. Parity was fundamental. The partners should acknowl-
edge and respect each other’s expertise and experiences.
These partners established and demonstrated a sense of
equality during the early stages. There were no hidden
agendas. The results, therefore, were exceeded. Economic
growth became evident through affordable housing for
local underserved constituents, and other physical struc-
tures were developed, sold, or demolished. Additionally,
dialogue and outreach activities enriched the partnership
that involved the full campus community and the local
neighborhood.
5. A shared vision was established. Without a vision, the
partnership will perish. A shared vision must be built
on genuine excitement and passion. The passion of both
partners was not only demonstrated among them but also
communicated to outside constituencies to help create a
win-win collaboration.
6. Assessment and sustainability became an essential part
of the planning and implementation. Here today and gone
tomorrow. This is the life of many programs and partner-
ships. Both components work hand in hand. Programs that
have wonderful assessment plans but no plans for con-
tinuance will soon dissolve. This partnership mapped out
an assessment plan that included periodic review. Then,
the stakeholders meticulously identified established areas
where they could immerse the programmatic concepts into
the culture of the institution and the community through
the articulation of facets of the partnership into their prac-
tices and policies.
Conclusion
The Carnegie Foundation asserts that there is a need not just for
more programs, but for a larger purpose, a larger sense of mission, a
Cultivating Reciprocity: The Guiding Framework for Benedict College 61
larger clarity of direction in the nation’s life (Campus Compact 2001).
Larger issues may never be fully and holistically addressed until
communities (groups of people) organize to develop and articulate
methods that work, not as isolated activities but as institution-
alized activities and decisions. In this context, institutionalized
activities and decisions are those which have been strategically
immersed into the overall culture of the institution and the com-
munity. This is a more sustainable method for integration than
routine implementation.
Now more than ever is the time for higher education insti-
tutions to transform their academic environments by considering
the community as an integral part of the teaching and learning
process. Colleges not only need to go to the community but also
need the community to come to their campuses to create reciprocal
environments for partnership development. At Benedict College,
the vision for and efforts of the Benedict-Allen CDC have helped
transform the neighboring Edgewood-Waverly community and
helped to restore the prominence it once enjoyed. Not only has
affordable housing been developed for underserved families, but
homes have been renovated to attract the college’s faculty and staff
to become residents. Demonstrating further impact for change, the
Service-Learning Program continues to assist with the neighbor-
hood transformation by retooling the teaching and learning pro-
cess at the institution, across each academic discipline, to extend
beyond the traditional purview of scholarship from classrooms
and textbooks to the civic engagement of students and faculty. By
design, the aim of sustained economic and community growth is
the result of the reciprocal relationship established between the
partnership of Benedict College and its neighbor, the Edgewood-
Waverly community.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Ruby Blair, a Benedict College English faculty
member; Tondaleya Jackson and Angela Woodard, Benedict
College Service-Learning staff members; and Marcella Davis,
a Benedict College Division of Community Development staff
member, for serving as resources. Acknowledgments also to the
various departmental faculty members who shared stories of their
course development as a part of the service-learning partnerships:
Emmie Davis (English); Randy Davis and Julian Shabazz (Health,
Physical Education, and Recreation); Ronald Davis and LaRonda
Robinson (Student Leadership Development); and Lisa Taylor
(Social Sciences and Criminal Justice).
62 Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement
Endnotes
1. Taken from Dr. Swinton’s original interview as documented
in the video Service-Learning in Higher Education: A Portrait
of Five Institutions (Neal 1999), which includes coverage of the
Benedict College Service-Learning Program. The video inter-
view is a demonstration of the president’s total commitment to the
institutionalization of service-learning as a primary vehicle for the
development of student leadership at the college.
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